As the search for oil offshore has moved drilling activity into deeper and deeper water, the necessity has increased for various equipment to be operable at such extensive water depths. In order to operate at such extensive depths, the utilization of a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) has become more and more common. An ROV is a propeller driven, fully remotely operable underwater vehicle utilizing TV cameras for eyes and having gripping arms and hydraulic power connections for latching, unlatching and performing other operating functions as such extensive depths. The ROV can be completely controlled from a surface vessel and thus offers the tremendous advantage of avoiding the endangerment of human life.
As part of production operations relating to the completion of such deeply drilled oil and gas wells, it is necessary to run pipelines from the producing well on the ocean floor to surface collection facilities. It is also necessary to run larger pipelines from a collection terminal to shore or other collection points. In laying such pipelines, it is necessary to connect together the pipeline sections at such extensive depths. In one particular environment, a pipeline must extend from a producing, ocean floor location to the leg of a riser and up the riser to some type of surface collection facility. In one method of installation, a riser pipe extends down the riser and terminates in an end which must be connected to a pipeline laid along the ocean floor from a wellhead. In such method of installation, the pipeline extending from the wellhead is laid into the water and floats down to the ocean floor and terminates in a ball-type connection which must be aligned with and locked into engagement with a cup or female connection at the end of the riser pipe. After the pipeline which terminates in the ball portion is laid onto the ocean floor, it can be moved into alignment with the female or cup member at the end of the riser pipe by various methods. It is then necessary to hydraulically make the locking connection between the ball member of the flowline on the ocean floor and the cup member at the end of the riser pipe. There are also many other instances wherein it is necessary to connect together pipeline ends utilizing remotely operable hydraulic power.
One such apparatus that may be used to make this connection is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,285 entitled "Articulated Ball Connector for Use With Pipeline". In U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,285, the female or cup portion includes a hydraulically actuable assembly which includes a piston member for actually moving a plurality of radial locking rings downwardly into a groove on a clamping ring mounted on the ball member. The position of the clamping ring mounted on the ball member is supported by a series of hydraulically interconnected piston assemblies which are provided to articulate the clamping ring on the ball member into a mating position with the cup member.